Mutual-aid networksInformal networks of neighborhood volunteers have cropped up across the country to buy groceries, provide rental assistance, do errands or just check in on vulnerable members of local communities.
Known as mutual-aid networks, these groups often seek to address community needs that aren’t being met by government agencies or traditional charities.Bed-Stuy Strong, a Brooklyn, N.Y., mutual-aid network that formed in March, now includes 4,000 people.
The group organizes volunteers via Slack, often collecting donations through apps like Venmo. Bed-Stuy says it has purchased and delivered a week’s supply of groceries, cleaning products and even diapers, for more than 17,000 people—85% of whom were elderly, sick or disabled.“The.